Content
He who has ears, let him hear (Mk 4:21-25; Mt 5:14-16; Lk 8:16-18)
This passage is a continuation of the parable of the sower. The function of a candle is to give light in a dark room, and we are “the light of the world” (Matt 5:14). A true believer will definitely bear fruit of different folds. Those who choose to walk on God’s path will demonstrate their faith with their good works or acts.(Matt 5:16) James says in James 2:17, “Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.” Again he concludes the message of “faith without works” in James 2:26, “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” As stated in the preceding passage, we do not obtain salvation by works, but true faith in Jesus Christ produces fruit or good deeds. Mark 4:22 says, “For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested; neither was any thing kept secret, but that it should come abroad.” It tells us that our love of Christ will be manifested through our love of people and care of their needs, especially their salvation.
Mark 4:23 is a very important message from Jesus, “If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.” This verse has been repeated over and over in the Four Gospels. Any time he gives out some important messages, he will remind people with this verse.(Mark 4:9) But the interesting point about this verse is that since the hearers all have ears and are already listening to Jesus, why does he still emphasize this verse? Obviously his wording implies that not all the hearers have ears in Jesus’ eyes. He added this word in next verse, “Take heed what ye hear.” (v24) He is in fact encouraging the public to truly pay attention to his messages and their importance, because the messages are concerned with their salvation. Some have ears and are hearing, but they might either ignore his message or object to it. Mark 4:12a hits the point, “That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand.” (Matt 13:14 tells us that Jesus is quoting the word of Isaiah.) His word refers to his parables that carry some important meaning (the mystery of the kingdom of God). These are the spiritual messages that only the spiritual beings can grasp the meaning. Some have eyes to see Jesus’ miracles, yet they do not perceive how the miracles relate to their salvation. If they truly pay attention to the meaning of the gospel message to their lives, Mark 4:12b gives the promise that “at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.” We are the ones that receive this promise, as Jesus said in Matt 13:16, “Blessed are your eyes, for they see; and your ears, for they hear.”
The above point is similar to Jesus’ healing of a young man who is blind from birth, recorded in John Chapter 9. Some Pharisees at the time ignored the power of this miracle. They only focused on Jesus’ breaking the law of Moses and commented, “This man is not of God, because he keepeth not the Sabbath day.” (John 9:16a) Yet there are some who reacted positively to the miracle--“Others said, How can a man that is a sinner do such miracles? And there was a division among them” (John 9:16b) See, there are always different responses to the gospel message, as reflected in the parable of the sower. With respect to the healing of the blind, after Jesus knew of their reaction, he concluded in John 9:39, “For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind.” Who is blind in Jesus’ eyes? The one who has eyes but does not see the relationship of the gospel message to his life. By the same token, when Jesus was challenged, “Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners?” Jesus responded, “They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick…for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” (Matt 9:11-13) Who is the sick and the sinner in Jesus’ eyes? Of courses, the Pharisees too, though they believe they are healthy and righteous.
We should ask ourselves the same question: do we really have ears to hear and eyes to perceive? We have heard many church messages but may just let them pass by without taking the time to meditate on them. We have seen many miracles done on people around us but may easily forget them without adding a bit of faith to ourselves. We are not learning anything from the godly things we see and hear! What does Jesus say to each of us? “Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you, and unto you that hear shall more be given. For he that hath, to him shall be given, and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath.” (v24-25) The key point is whether we are really serious about God’s word spoken in the Bible and His magnificent work in people’s lives. “Take heed what ye hear.” (v4:24a) Are you hearing God’s voice or man’s voice? Luke 8:18a says quite differently, “Take heed therefore how ye hear.” Even if you are hearing God’s voice, it is your attitude and response that matter more than just hearing the message alone. Do we have a true desire to bear more fruits? Or do we hear God’s message like seed sown by the roadside or on solid ground? If you take heed and respond favorably and bear fruit, you will be given more. If you take God’s word casually--like the seed sown by the roadside or on solid ground, what you have will be taken away! We ought to be more serious to examine our spiritual lives--whether they are growing or being choked among the thorns. Do you care more about your personal matter or God’s matter? Do you care more about this world or the new world after? Do you care more about the temporary or the eternal? Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” (Matt 6:19-21)